Find Love Together
by mabelreid
Summary: Reid takes Henry trick-or-treating at the local mall, which leads him to the realization that he needs to save Maeve. Takes place directly after the big reveal at the end of "The Good Earth," during season eight.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n this will be three chapters and a short Epilogue. The story takes place right after the big reveal at the end of "The Good Earth." It's my number one Spencer and Henry moment. Happy October, everyone. _**

"Are you ready to go?"

Spencer nodded, smiled and took Henry's hand when JJ and Garcia met him at the elevator fifteen minutes after his godson's Halloween costume reveal in the BAU bullpen.

"I'm ready."

"We get more candy, Unca Spencer?"

Garcia chuckled and JJ shook her head. "You might be sorry you agreed to this, Spence."

"Yes, Henry, we'll get you more candy at the mall. I'm _completely_ fine with it," Spencer directed to JJ. "I've been looking forward to it all day. I'm so happy we got back in time for tonight."

"Don't let him have more than one piece to eat, or you'll have to take him for the night and deal with a sugar high."

"Understood," Reid said, and they left the elevator car for the parking lot.

Half an hour later, Reid and Henry joined other families in the main walkway of the Aspen Hills Mall in McLean. The huge mall boasted shops, a food court, an arcade, and a twelve-screen movie theater. The noise swelled around them as people talked, shouted, and laughed. He heard snippets of conversation as he held fast to Henry who watched wide-eyed at the activity. Spooky music played from speakers and a voice made an announcement that Reid couldn't understand. It reminded him a bit of riding the train during rush hour.

Someone had hired professional decorators because the huge promenade was hung with orange and black balloons and streamers. There were jack-o-lanterns near strategically placed benches where a person could rest during a rigorous day of shopping. They fluttered with light and Spencer noticed that the lights were electric, or battery-powered instead of a real flame, most likely due to fire regulations. He noticed as they made their way down the promenade that someone had strung up fake spider webs and plastic spiders that were more realistic than he'd seen sold in the stores. A small girl passed them with her mother and let out a shrieking cry when she noticed the arachnids. Her mother led her away and tried to comfort her, but they were soon lost in the crowd.

"Glad that's not me," Reid muttered under his breath and looked down at Henry who didn't appear affected by the realistic decorations.

They passed the entrance to the movie theater and entered the first shop beyond, called Zoom. Three employees behind the counter at the north end of the store wore coordinated costumes from Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Groot," Henry said excitedly and pointed to the counter.

"Yes," Reid said and led him forward.

They waited in a line that stretched to the back of the store, but that also moved quickly. Henry got a chocolate bar and a pack of gum from Groot, which made him giggle.

Spencer led his godson from the store. "Where should we go next?"

Henry pointed to in the direction of a toy store and Spencer rolled his eyes. "How did I know you'd pick The Toy Palace?"

"We go now," Henry tugged on his hand.

"Yes," Spencer led him forward. They dodged around a couple of kids dressed as stormtroopers, and four more decked out as pirates, complete with eye patches and tricorn hats.

He saw witches, ghosts, vampires, and every superhero known to the world of comics. He smirked when he noticed a couple of Doctor Whos in the crowd.

They finally found the entrance to the toy shop and had to stand in a line for fifteen minutes while Spencer tried to keep Henry's attention off the multitude of available toys.

"What did mommy say when we left?" He reminded his young charge.

"No toys."

"That's right. However, your birthday is coming up soon, so if you tell me _one_ toy you'd like, I might get it for you."

"Yay," Henry shouted.

"Ssh," Reid put a finger to his lips. "Inside voice, Henry."

"Sorry, Unca Spencer."

"It's okay."

They moved forward in the line and Henry tugged on his hand. "What is it, buddy?"

"Want Spiderman," Henry pointed to an action figure sitting in a cardboard box atop a Halloween display of the famous web-slinger.

"That one," Spencer indicated.

"Yes."

"What do you say?"

"Please!"

"Okay, but you have to wait for your birthday?"

Henry pouted and Reid chuckled. "Remember you promised no pouting."

Henry nodded his head and his long blond hair swayed around his face. Reid took another look at the costume he wore as "Spencer Reid, profiler," and felt another smile creep onto his mouth.

"Thank you," he told his godson. "Tell me why you like Spiderman?"

"He's a superhero-like you and mommy and daddy."

Reid crouched down after taking a couple more steps to the counter at the north end of the store. "Why do you think we're superheroes? We don't have cool powers like Spidey."

"Mommy said you catch the bad guys and help people. Spiderman helps people."

Reid couldn't argue with his logic. "You're right. What superpower would you like, if you could be like Spidey."

Henry pursed his lips and said. "Want to be smart like you, Unca Spencer."

"You want to be smart like me. Why?" Reid asked as a surprise, almost made him forget the line until the woman behind him said. "Excuse me," and gestured ahead. He turned and noticed the line had moved. "Sorry," he said to her and they walked forward.

"You know every answer," Henry said.

Suddenly, Maeve entered his head and he said, in a low tone, "Not every answer." He didn't know how to help her.

Henry nodded his head again. "You know everything."

Reid realized the line moved again when the woman behind him glared at them. They were near to the counter, so Reid went quiet until Henry had his candy. They left the store and Reid took the little boy to a bench and crouched down in front of him.

"Henry, thank you for saying that you think I know everything, but there are lots of things I still need to learn. No one can know everything."

"You know how to catch monsters."

"Sometimes," Reid said quietly.

Maeve flitted into his mind's eye, her voice, her intelligence, her gentle nature.

"Love you," he heard as an echo in his head.

"You do magic," said Henry, and interrupted Reid's thoughts.

"I suppose I do," Reid said, then he smiled. "I think I lost a quarter, Henry. Can you help me find it?

Henry nodded his head and giggled as Reid pulled his hand from next to Henry's ear. "There it is," he said triumphantly and held out the coin. "It was in your ear."

"Nah uh," Henry shook his head. "Magic."

"Okay, it was magic."

"Want more candy."

Reid sighed, then chuckled. "Okay, a few more stores and then we have to go home. Mommy will be wondering what happened to us."

He let Henry lead him around to five more stores, to the bathroom for a potty break and then he asked for a drink of water. Reid took him to the fountain where they had to wait their turn behind a little girl costumed as a fairy princess in a pink frilly dress and a silver crown on her head. Her mother gave Reid a weary – wish this were over – smile and then disappeared into the crowd.

"Okay, Master Henry. It's time to go home."

"Don't want to."

"I know, but I can tell that you're getting tired."

Henry shook his head and began to pout, again. "Henry."

"One more candy."

"No, you've had enough."

Henry frowned, but let Spencer lead him out into the night. They passed several groups and families entering and leaving the mall as they hurried to Reid's Volvo. They'd been lucky to find a space close to the entrance and were soon in the car and on their way back to JJ and Will's home.

Henry yawned as they drove out of the parking lot. "Don't want to go home," he said as his eyelids began to droop.

"I think you're ready for bed," Spencer said quietly and glanced at the boy in the rearview mirror when he stopped for a light.

Henry was sound asleep in his booster seat, and the sight of him made Reid smile. Then he sighed as a familiar longing for his own child reared up inside him and his thoughts returned to Maeve again. No, having a child wasn't possible.

_Why not? Maeve said she loves you._

Reid pushed his thoughts aside and continued his way to JJ's home. When he arrived, Will greeted him at the door.

"I see he hit the wall."

"Yeah, and he has quite the bag of goodies."

"Hey, Spence, how did it go?" JJ entered the living room from the kitchen area.

"It was – an adventure. By the way, Henry asked me for a Spiderman action figure."

JJ rolled her eyes and sighed. "I hope you didn't –"

"No, I told him he'd have to wait for his birthday."

"You don't have to do that," Will said as he started toward the stairs with Henry in his arms.

"It's all right."

"Well, it's up to you," Will said. "Thanks."

Reid nodded and watched as Will carried Henry up the stairs to his room. Reid turned to JJ and she gave him a tired smile. "You want coffee? It's the least I can do after convincing you to take an excited three-year-old trick-or-treating at the mall."

"You didn't have to convince me, JJ. I wanted to take him. It was fun."

JJ chuckled. "It was fun taking a three-year-old around for candy?"

"Yes. In many ways, Henry has special wisdom."

JJ studied Reid for a moment, then she smiled. "Yes, I suppose he does. After all, don't they say that "out of the mouths of babes."

"Yes," Reid agreed and blew out a breath. "I should go."

"Are you sure you don't want coffee."

"No, there's something I have to do."

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Reid left his car and hurried to a payphone on the corner of two Mclean residential streets. He called the number he'd long ago memorized and entered the number of the payphone. He hung up the receiver and waited impatiently for the phone to ring. When it did, he snatched the receiver and said.

"Hello."

"Spencer. It's not Sunday, why are you calling," Maeve said with fear adding a tremble to her tone.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I want to end this."

"What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying Maeve. I want to find your stalker. I _need _your help."

"I told you no, Spencer. I _don't_ want you to get hurt."

Reid blew out a breath and said what he'd wanted to say for months. "Maeve, you said you love me. Well, I love you too. I can't continue with phone calls, secrecy and sneaking around. I want to meet you and talk to you face to face. Please, help me."

Maeve didn't speak for so long, Reid thought she'd disconnected, and his heart began to thump in his chest. "Maeve?"

"You're right," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I know you're afraid, but my team will keep you safe."

"I – I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything. I'll talk to my team in the morning and then I'll contact you."

He heard her heave a deep sigh. "You're a stubborn man, Spencer Reid. I'm beginning to see that I can't win against your determination."

"No," he said and nearly chuckled. "You can't."

"Something happened to change your mind. What was it?"

"I suppose you can hear it in my voice."

"Yes."

"I took my godson to the mall for trick-or-treating. We were talking about Spiderman, his favorite comic book character because he wants an action figure for his birthday. He seems to think that I'm a superhero.

He felt his cheeks go warm when Maeve giggled. "I can see that."

"You can?"

"Well, from a three-year-old's perspective, yes."

"He said that superheroes help people and that his mom, dad and I help people. I started thinking that I haven't done anything to help you and –"

"That's not true, Spencer. Your letters and phone calls have helped me more than you can imagine. You've kept me sane."

"I don't want to just keep you sane. I want it to end."

"So, do I," she whispered. "I never realized how much until you called tonight."

"Excellent," Reid enthused, and Maeve laughed.

"Please be careful. I _do_ love you."

"And, I love you," Reid said. "I'm so glad I can say it."

"I'm happy to hear it."

"Look, I have to go, but I will talk to you tomorrow and perhaps by this time it'll be over for good."

"I hope you're right."

"Goodnight, Maeve."

"Goodnight, Spencer."


	2. Chapter 2

"Sweetcheeks," Garcia exclaimed over her first cup of herbal tea. "What are you doing here so early?"

Reid smiled because it was impossible not to be happy when greeted by his best friend. She wore her hair down in thick blond curls with a purple streak running through the left side of her head. She'd carried over the Halloween theme to Day of the Dead with skull earrings, an orange and yellow striped blouse, cut low to her generous cleavage, and a yellow skirt that hit the tops of her knees. Her shoes were wedges with yellow and orange heels and she wore orange nail polish on her fingertips and her toenails. Her chunky necklace also featured skulls and her glasses were framed with tortoiseshell.

"I wanted to talk to you before the team arrived," he said and gestured to her office door.

"You want to talk without the team. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, at least, not yet," he said cryptically.

"You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry," he said as he led her into her office and shut the door. "That's not my intention."

Garcia took her chair in front of her beloved computers and turned to look up at him as he stood next to her. "Okay, if nothing is wrong, why all the secrecy?"

"Because I trust you more than anyone, right now. I need you to find someone for me and I don't want the team looking over our shoulders until I've decided the best course of action."

Garcia nodded and turned back to her keyboard. "Do you have a name for me?"

"Yes, but only a first name. Maeve. She's a geneticist."

Garcia stopped her fingers from automatically typing in the name. "Maeve? I was right!" She squealed. "You _did _meet someone?"

"Yes, and I _will_ fill you in, but right now I need to find her."

Garcia studied his face for a minute and what she saw in his eyes had her fingers flying over her keyboard. "Okay, Maeve, and geneticist. Only one name pops – a Dr. Maeve Donovan. Wow, she's brilliant, and a researcher at Mendel University until about ten months ago when she dropped off the face of the earth. Oh, she burned her credit history. What's going on, Spencer."

He blinked at the use of his first name and sighed. "I met her six months ago. She sent me a compliment letter regarding an article I wrote for American Psychology Monthly."

"Wait," Garcia held up a hand and a large grin spread over her face. "Is she a technophobe, like you, sweet cheeks?"

"Garcia."

She instantly sobered at his tone and the irritation in his eyes. "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a little."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm worried about her."

"Why?"

"Because she has a stalker."

Garcia stiffened and turned to face Reid. "A stalker. No wonder she's dropped off the face of the earth. Wait," she paused and studied his face again. "How long have you known about this?"

"I've known since we first met. She wouldn't agree to a face to face meeting and instead asked me to call her. I pick a new payphone every week and call her pager with the number. She calls me back and we talk. Garcia, she is so smart and articulate. She's kind and gentle. She helped me with my migraines and she's – I don't know, so wonderful."

"You're in love with her," Garcia breathed. "That's wonderful. Does she love you back, because if she doesn't then – "

"Slow down," Reid said, and he almost laughed. "She told me a couple of weeks ago that she _does_ love me."

"Oh, babycakes, I'm _so_ happy for you." Garcia jumped to her feet and hugged him until he had to gently push her away. "Wait," she exclaimed for the third time in ten minutes. "You said six months. You've known about the stalker for half a year and you've done nothing. What's the matter with you?"

"I didn't come in here for a lecture," Reid snapped. "Yes, I screwed up, but – I didn't know what to do. I never had a relationship with someone so right for me, and I didn't want to do anything to end it."

"Why? Do you think she's making up that part? Do you think she's into something illegal? If she is then I will - "

"No," Reid held out his hands. "I think she's terrified and she said she doesn't want anything to happen to me or the team."

"That's sweet," Garcia said as she resumed her place in front of her keyboard. "But, did you tell her that we are the best at what we do?"

"Yes, but she insisted, and I didn't feel it was my place to override her wishes."

"Why?"

Reid stared at Garcia. "Because she asked me."

"So."

"Garcia."

"Reid, why are you lying to me? I thought that after what happened with Emily, we're done lying to each other." Tears welled up in her eyes and he felt his heartbreak a little for making her cry.

"Garcia, I told you that I trust you."

She suddenly nodded her head and said, "It's the rest of the team you don't trust."

"No! Okay, maybe, but I realized last night that I have to find a way to assist Maeve."

"Why did you change your mind?"

"It was our godson."

Garcia wiped her eyes and smiled widely. "Oh, our fairy godson. What did he do?"

Reid told her about their trip to the mall and his conversation with the three-year-old about superheroes. "So, I decided that if he feels that strongly about us and what we do, I needed to do my best to help Maeve."

"My godson is a godsend and a smart little cookie if he convinced you to do what you have to do."

"Yeah, I know I should've come to the same conclusion, but – going over the same ground is useless."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do you think you can find her?"

Garcia rolled her eyes and pointed to the screen. "Already done, gorgeous grey-matter."

Reid blinked and smiled. "Why did I doubt you?"

"Because you're distracted by love. You want to see what she looks like."

He jerked as if hit by an electrical charge. "Um – I don't know. Um." He thought about it and shook his head. "No, I'll wait."

"I assume you're going to tell the rest of the team."

"Not yet," he said and turned for the door. "I'm going to see her in person, and I don't want the team there when I do."

"But, you can't go without back up. I won't let you!"

He faced her again and his face was unreadable for the first time since she met him. "I'm not going alone."

"Okay. I'll stay quiet for now, but you _better_ call me when you've talked to her and she's safe."

"I will," he promised and left her office.

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Reid hurried out of the elevator and into the parking garage half an hour later. Alex Blake always arrived on time at 8:45 am every morning when they didn't have an active case. His watch said 8:43 am when he stepped out of the elevator car. He stood for a few seconds, then began to shuffle back and forth and then pace. Time passed with a slowness that felt like two eternities instead of two minutes. Still, Alex didn't appear until five minutes later when he was reaching for his phone to call her.

He watched her get out of her car and walk toward him. Surprise showed in the set of her mouth and the tilt of her head as she approached. "What's wrong? Do we have a case?"

"No, I was waiting for you because I need you to back me up and I don't want the team to know."

Alex's eyebrows went up and then she smiled. "You finally decided to help your friend."

"Not you too, Alex?"

"Who else?"

"I had to talk to Garcia to find her."

"Oh."

"So, I have her address. Can you drive us there, now?"

"Sure, but – does she know you're coming?"

"I told her I would talk to the team today, but I didn't tell her I'm coming at this precise moment."

"Don't you think you'll frighten her unnecessarily if you don't call her first?"

"I don't want her to leave before we get there."

"Reid!"

"Okay, let's find a payphone."

Alex found a payphone three miles in the direction of Maeve's address. She watched him as he dialed the phone, waited and then eagerly yanked the receiver from its cradle when it rang. She was fascinated by his body language and facial expressions as he talked to her. She was fighting the urge to read his lips when the conversation ended quickly, and he nearly jogged back to the car.

"So?"

"She's still not happy, but she said she'd see me."

"Good, let's go."

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Reid nervously ran his hands through his hair as they climbed the stairs to Maeve's apartment. The building looked as if it had been recently rehabbed and he didn't see anyone in the hallway to her door despite other apartments on the same level.

"Are you going to knock?" Blake asked when he stood there staring at the door.

"Ah, yeah." He knocked and they waited for long minutes that passed like a glacier moving slowly down a steep mountainside.

"Who is it?"

Reid swallowed hard and looked over at Blake, who nodded. "Um, it's Joseph Bell and I have a friend I trust with me." He hoped she'd respond to the familiar code name they'd used.

He heard locks click and drawback, then the door swung open to reveal a woman who stood about five foot seven inches tall with long wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and an oval-shaped face. She wore a white shirt, with a blue long-sleeved sweater, blue slacks, and tennis shoes. Her expression shifted as she saw them from frightened to astonished and then she blushed pink in the cheeks.

"Ah, hello, Spencer."

"Can we come in?"

"Yeah, um, come in."

They entered and she shut the door. "This is my colleague, Alex Blake."

Alex nodded and showed Maeve her badge. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You told her," Maeve turned to Reid with betrayed eyes.

"She guessed because I asked her to help me find a payphone during that case with the amputee."

"Oh, right. Um, well I guess you know everything," Maeve asked Alex.

She led them to her living room, which still had moving boxes. There was a couch with a glass coffee table and a couple of chairs. They took the chairs although Reid wanted to sit on the couch next to her. He couldn't keep his eyes off her face. She was beautiful and suddenly he wondered what she thought of him. He noticed that she kept staring at him and her cheeks were rosy.

Alex studied both and won against her desire to smirk at their obvious surprise, awkwardness and mutual attraction.

"Yes," she finally answered Maeve's question when she realized that Spencer was unable to start the conversation. "I'm glad he finally decided to help you."

"Alex."

She shrugged and motioned for him to talk. "Ah, Maeve. You said you have letters and emails."

"Yeah," Maeve jolted as if coming out of a dream. She gestured to a file folder on the coffee table.

Alex reached for it and began to peruse the contents. "I see what you mean. Maeve, is there anyone you know that might be the stalker?"

"No, I can't think of anyone."

"Can you think of anyone that you've come in contact within the last year, no matter how briefly that might have misinterpreted your exchanges as interest. Typically, when the stalker is male, all it can take is a hello or a smile."

"No."

"What about letting repairmen in your home, or someone at work that might be on what you consider a lower social rung."

"No," Maeve said, and Alex saw the frustration in her eyes. "I don't understand why this is happening to me."

"Okay," Alex said quietly. "What about your work? What do you do?"

"I was a geneticist – a researcher at Mendel University until I had to take a leave of absence."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Were there any male students that paid you unwanted attention or simply hung around or accidentally ran into you on a consistent basis."

"No, I rarely interacted with students, except to pick Ph.D. candidates."

Alex grimaced. "I assisted a professor friend with his Linguistics candidates one time and that was enough for me."

Reid and Maeve chuckled nervously, and Maeve's body language relaxed which made Alex smile.

"Makes me sorry for the three that chose mine," Reid put in then blushed when Maeve shot him an adoring and trusting glance.

"I'm sure it was an easy decision," Maeve said, and Reid ducked his head.

"Maeve," Alex got the young woman's attention. "What about boyfriends or ex-lovers?"

Maeve fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater and looked away from Reid. She twisted a lock of hair with her fingers and said. "Um, no."

"Maeve, if there is someone you have to tell us."

Maeve finally made eye contact, but it was with Alex, not Reid. "I was engaged, but Bobby wouldn't do this."

"You were engaged," Reid squeaked, and this time his face went red with anger. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"Because I didn't want to upset you."

"Maeve!"

"I'm sorry, Spencer. When this began, I got photos in the mail of me going about my daily routine and then after about a month, I got photos of me with Bobby and of him alone. I knew this person was watching him too, so when I decided to leave my job and move, I told Bobby it was over and to get on with his life. It hurt. I thought I was in love with him, but now I know I wasn't," she said without stopping for breath.

"Do you have those pictures?" Alex wondered before Reid could respond.

"Yeah, I'll get them."

She stood and went into another room. Reid wouldn't look at Alex. Instead, he kept his eyes on his shoes until Maeve returned and handed the photos to Alex. Alex ignored their new coldness to each other and studied the photos. When she found a photo of Maeve with her face covered in a black medium, she frowned, touched it and said. "Maeve, have you touched this?" she held up the picture.

"No, I can barely look at it."

"It's black eyeliner."

"The stalker is a woman," Maeve and Reid squeaked together and nearly made Alex laugh.

They looked at each other and the tension between them drew back a bit. "Do you know any woman that might do this?"

"No."

"Reid," Alex said. "What's the profile of a female stalker."

"They make up ten percent of stalkers. The top motivation is sexual intimacy, but not erotomania, more woman scorned."

"Have you ever had a sexual encounter with a woman?" Alex asked, bluntly.

"Blake!"

"You know I have to ask, Reid."

Reid looked at his shoes again while Maeve kept her eyes on the coffee table. "No, never. I'm straight."

"The second most common motivation is celebrity stalking."

"I'm not a celebrity," Maeve said firmly and finally Reid looked up and met her eyes.

"That's _not_ true. You're a star in your field."

"Thank you, Spencer but I think you're exaggerating my status."

"No," Reid argued. "You _are_ a star."

"Still, celebrity stalkers are non-violent, typically." Alex reminded him.

"You want to tell that to John Lennon, Alex. What did Mark David Chapman say after he shot him? It was like all of my nobodyness collided with all of his somebodyness." He exclaimed as he leaped to his feet and rounded on Maeve. "You are _somebody_ and this bitch is _nobody_."

Alex and Maeve stared at him as he dropped on the couch and his eyes dared them to contradict him.

"Sorry," he said in a low tone. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"Yes," Alex said. "You are."

Maeve appeared to think so intently, she'd shut out Alex and Spencer. In fact, Alex almost grinned because Maeve resembled Reid when he was about to make an important connection.

"What is it, Maeve?"

"I don't know why, but I was thinking about a conversation I had with a friend before all of this," Maeve gestured at the photographs with her hands. "We were talking about working with men and jealousy because she'd been promoted over one of her male colleagues. I said that when men suffer from professional jealousy, they want what you have for themselves. When women are jealous, they want it so you can't have it."

Reid's eyes came alive and he turned back to Maeve. "What about female Ph.D. candidates?"

Maeve stared at him and she nodded her head. "Each student has their own projects and assistants, but – oh god."

"What?"

"I think I know who it is."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n one more short chapter after this. Thank you for all your kind reviews. You're the best_**.

Blake had to jog to keep up with Reid and Maeve as they hurried from the elevator to the glass door leading to the BAU's bullpen.

"Reid," Morgan said as they entered. "Who is this fine-looking woman and why is –"

"Not now," Reid snapped as JJ and Garcia joined them.

"Sorry, man," Morgan held up his hands. "Stand down."

"This is Dr. Maeve Donovan. We met several months ago. She has a stalker and needs our help." Reid said, bluntly.

"Um, Spence," JJ began as Rossi and Hotch came out of their office.

Reid sent her a look and she closed her mouth but stared at Maeve with intense speculation and something that made Reid's blood heat.

"Reid," Hotch said. "What's going on?"

"Hotch, can we go to the conference room and we'll fill you in."

Hotch's eyes swept over Maeve, but his face remained impassive. Finally, he nodded, and they hurried up to the conference room.

Reid made introductions and quickly outlined the situation. "I know that I broke protocol bringing Alex in first, but I didn't want to overwhelm Maeve with the whole team at once," he smoothly lied. "I know I let this go on too long but –"

"That's my fault," Maeve put in as Hotch stared at Reid with dark eyes that simultaneously frightened and reassured her. "I begged him not to involve himself or you. I didn't want anything to happen – "

"I should've insisted," Reid said.

"Reid," Hotch said and the younger man fell silent. "We'll talk about it later. You said you know who's stalking Dr. Donovan."

"Yes, her name is Diane Turner."

"How did you figure it out," JJ asked.

"I rejected her thesis because her premise was flawed, and she included her parents in her sample."

"Wait, back up," Morgan said. "What was the thesis about?"

"Oh, sorry. It was titled "Spontaneous Cellular Death in Suicide Patients." Maeve put in.

"Cells don't behave that way," Reid said.

"I think we have to worry about the suicide part of the equation. She mentions it in her letters, yes." Alex directed to Maeve.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Garcia," Hotch said.

"She's working at a junior college now and I have her address for you."

"Before we go after her," Hotch said. "This isn't one of our cases and we haven't been invited in by law enforcement."

"Hotch," Reid began to protest.

"Let me finish, Reid. I need to know if everyone is prepared for the consequences of going outside of FBI protocol."

"Why are we discussing it?" Rossi asked. "Let's go."

The rest nodded their assent and Hotch said. "Rossi, you, Morgan, and Reid take her residence. JJ, Blake and I will go to her place of employment."

"Come on," Garcia smiled at Maeve and gestured to the door. "Let's go grab some coffee and you can fill me in on how you met my sweet cheeks."

Morgan chuckled when both Reid and Maeve blushed bright red. "Take it _easy_, baby-girl," he said.

Garcia winked at him and Reid sighed. "Garcia."

"I _promise_ I won't pry."

JJ snickered and Alex shook her head. "Let's go."

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Garcia patted the chair she'd fetched from the break room. "Sit." She offered. "How are you?"

Maeve looked around at Garcia's office, then down at the bagel, she'd let Garcia buy for her. She sipped her tea and frowned. "I'm okay, but I don't know how you do it?"

Garcia smiled and reached out to touch Maeve's shoulder. "You want to know how I stay behind and wait."

"Yes. I couldn't do it every day."

"First, I don't do this every day. There are days we're here in the office doing boring paperwork, or the team has simple consults they can do over the phone or with a fax machine and email. Second, I have my color and my knick-knacks to distract me," Garcia gestured over her desk.

"Yes, I can see -wait is that Henry?"

Maeve spotted a photo of a small boy with long blond hair, and blue eyes that made her think of Agent Jareau. He was laughing and looking up at Spencer who crouched down to talk to him. She smiled so hard her mouth ached to see Spencer so captivated by the small boy. "Oh, he's so _adorable_."

"They _both_ are," Garcia smirked and ran a finger over the glass protecting the picture. "JJ took this at Henry's last birthday."

"May I take a closer look," Maeve requested.

Garcia handed her the framed photo and watched as she studied the photo like a woman seeing a beautiful sunset for the first time. Her face lit up and her eyes sparkled.

"I wish I could've seen this in person. They look _so _happy and enthralled with each other."

"They are. Henry loves my sweet cheeks, and Spencer adores Henry. He comes alive when they're together, a bit like when he's with you."

Maeve ducked her head and her cheeks went pink. "What do you think will happen when this is over?"

Garcia took the picture and returned it to its place. "What do you mean?"

Maeve stood, looked around like she wanted to pace the room, then sat again. "I haven't thought about what would happen if somehow I found a way to be free of Diane. I never thought about anything but the next phone call with him. What if he doesn't like me?"

"Maeve, are you insane? I know Spencer Reid and he loves you. You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice."

"I guess, but I think I made him angry with me."

"Why?"

"I didn't tell him I was engaged before Diane began stalking me. I broke up with Bobby to keep him safe, and it hurt so much. Then I met Spencer, and I forgot about Bobby. It's like being engaged to him was in another life."

"It was," Garcia put in. "You're a different woman, now."

"Yes, and that's what scares me. What if I can't trust again? I didn't trust Spencer or your team to help me. I did everything I could to keep Spencer at a distance. What if I can't come back from that?"

"You will," Garcia said resolutely.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know Reid he _won't _let you go now that you're free."

Maeve finally smiled. "I hope you're right. Sorry, I don't usually open up like that to a total stranger."

"Sweetcheeks said once, that I'm easy to confide in because I don't judge."

"He must be right because here I am telling my greatest fears and doubts. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Garcia said. "Now that's settled, what do you think of my boy. He's hotter than noon on the fourth of July, yes? Of course, he doesn't compare with my chocolate god, but he's the best looking genius this side of the planet, don't you think?"

Maeve choked on the last of her tea and flushed red. Garcia's phone beeped and interrupted them. Maeve sighed with relief that she didn't have to explain that every time she spoke with Spencer, she tried to imagine what he looked like. How could she admit that his reality far exceeded anything she'd thought of in the last six months? He was beautiful like an angel fallen from Heaven and condemned to human form for eternity.

"Maeve?"

She jumped and realized that Garcia had been trying to get her attention. "Ah, sorry."

"That was Morgan. Diane's in custody."

Maeve blew out a breath and began to cry. Garcia immediately went to her and hugged her tight. "Hey, it's all over, Maeve."

"I know, I'm so happy and relieved. I can see my parents and go back to my job and Spencer – "

She stopped and pulled away from her new friend. She took the handkerchief Garcia offered and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm thrilled for you and Reid. You guys deserve to be fantastically happy."

Maeve laughed. "Thank you, Ms. Garcia."

"Oh no, call me Garcia or Penelope, okay."

Maeve nodded and submitted to another enthusiastic hug from the effusive goddess of the information superhighway. "I will," she agreed.

"Now, let's go to the break room. I have something in the freezer that I've kept around for a special occasion."

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Reid drummed his fingers nervously on the seat as he rode back to Quantico with Rossi and Morgan. He stared out the window at the afternoon sunshine and tried not to think about meeting Maeve again. If only he didn't have to do it in front of his entire team.

"Hey, stop tapping," Rossi ordered. "You're driving me crazy."

"Sorry."

"Your lady's safe," Morgan said in front the driver's seat as he navigated the DC traffic. "You should be happy."

"I am, but what if they let her out. She didn't have a record before this, and we don't have any physical proof against her. It's all circumstantial."

"Hey," Morgan interrupted. "We won't let anything happen to Maeve."

Reid blew out a breath. "Thank you."

"I want to know more about her and how _can_ I if she goes back into hiding."

Reid turned his eyes on Morgan and watched as the older agent grinned at him while Rossi rolled his eyes. "Don't interrogate her about me, understand."

"Sure, kid. I was right about her, though."

"How?" Reid wondered.

"She's one hell of a woman."

Reid felt his mouth curve into a proud smile despite his efforts to keep a straight face. Rossi smirked at him in the review mirror and Morgan chuckled. "Yes, she is," Reid said and sat back to watch the traffic.

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Alex found Reid sitting dejectedly at his desk, an hour after they'd returned to Quantico. She glanced around and noticed that everyone was gone.

"Reid?"

"Hey, Alex."

"Why are you still here. I thought you'd be spending time with Maeve."

Reid lifted his head from the file he was pretending to read and stared at the wall behind Alex's head. "Um, she wanted to go home and see her parents."

"Oh. I think that's understandable."

"She said that her mom has cancer and she's been extremely worried about her."

Alex didn't speak, but she watched Reid as he fidgeted with the sleeve of his brown sweater. He reached up and pushed a lock of wavy hair back from his face. He finally made eye contact with Alex and misery filled his hazel orbs.

"Maybe you should go home and sleep," Alex suggested.

"No, I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Blake."

"If you didn't want to talk about it, you wouldn't be sitting here alone."

"Blake, please, don't push me this time."

"Reid, I saw the way you looked at her when she admitted that she had a fiancé. You think she's still in love with him."

"No! Yes. I don't know. Why didn't she tell me?"

"Ah," Blake said. "You're upset that she didn't reveal every one of her secrets to you. What did you expect, Spencer? You barely know each other."

He opened his mouth, shut it, clenched his jaw then relaxed his fisted hands. "Why are you always right?"

Alex laughed. "I'm not always right, Spencer. Look, I see the two of you from the perspective of the outsider. You met through letters, then she tells you she has a stalker. You have a clandestine relationship that involves using code names and changing payphones every time you talk. It's like playing at secret agents."

"Blake," Reid protested. "It wasn't like that."

"You sure."

Reid dropped his eyes to the desk then sighed. "You're right again. Why couldn't I see it until now? I put her in unnecessary danger because I liked the secretive nature of our correspondence. What's the matter with me?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, how can you _say_ that?"

"Because it's true. Reid, you made a mistake because you thought you could handle it on your own. You wanted something outside the BAU that was for you _alone_. There's nothing wrong with that."

Reid laughed bitterly. "I nearly got her killed, Blake. If not for Henry and his hero worship of me, I'd still be talking to her on the phone and Diane would still be out there. What if I'd let it go on for too long and Diane took it to the next level? Maeve might be dead and – it'd be my fault!"

"She's the one that told you not to help her. Why do you think she did that?"

"She said she loved me and didn't want anything to happen to me."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Is that it?"

"I – um," Reid stopped, and something sprang up in his eyes that Alex recognized from when he'd put together the pieces of a difficult puzzle. "She didn't trust me." He exclaimed, then he frowned. "Why am I so happy to realize that she never truly trusted me?"

"Perhaps you're happy because you realize that you never trusted the team, otherwise you wouldn't have waited so long to ask for help."

Reid shook his head and a tear slid down his cheek. "I thought I was over what happed two years ago, but I'm not."

"Try to understand Maeve's point of view. She has a stalker; she's been hounded away from her job and her family. She had to move, burn her credit history and settle for communication with a stranger that she's drawn to on an intellectual and emotional level. Imagine living each day not knowing if you'll receive another letter or phone call from someone that hates you for something you don't understand. Imagine living for hearing the voice of man you think you love because he's kind, gentle, intelligent and funny. How would you react every time the phone rang, or the doorbell buzzed? You don't know what he looks like. You don't know how he'll react to seeing you for the first time. Will you get along when you meet in person and the threat is over, or will you realize that your feelings are built on a shaky foundation of secrecy?"

"I _do_ understand," Reid blurted out, then he sat back and sighed. "At least, I understand the fear of seeing her for the first time and wondering how to proceed when the danger is over."

"The point is that you both need time. Let her spend it with her family and friends. Let her come to you, Spencer."

"What if she doesn't come to me. What if she – "

Alex watched his face and saw it turn rosy in the cheeks. "Then it's not meant to be, but if I were a gambling woman, I'd bet on you."

Reid finally smiled. He stood, stretched his arms over his head, groaned and blew out a loud breath of air. "Let's go home, Blake."

"Agreed."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n here is the last chapter. Thank you all again for your kind comments and your support of this story. Have a great weekend. _**

**_Epilogue_**

Reid fought the urge to look over his shoulder as he hurried down the main street of Mclean to a payphone he'd never used.

_There's nothing to be afraid of now._

Then, why did he feel the old tug of nerves in his belly as the cold wind ruffled his hair and sent the fringe of his scarf fluttering? He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly ten am. When he looked at the phone booth, he almost turned away. A woman stood there with her back to him and the receiver of the phone at her left ear.

_Who uses payphones these days?_

_Seriously, you ask yourself that question?_

He wanted to tell the sarcastic voice in his head to go to hell but was distracted by trying to decide if he could find another payphone before ten, but then realized that every phone location he'd memorized was too far away to reach by foot. He sighed and paced up and down the sidewalk. He ignored the stares from various people passing him and thought that if people wanted to have long conversations, they should obtain cell phones.

_Do you hear yourself?_

He ignored his inner voice and continued to wait impatiently for the woman to finish her conversation. What was so damn important, he thought as he shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders against the cold. His heartbeat with the old anticipation of hearing Maeve's voice. He felt his legs shaking and his hands trembling.

Finally, the woman exited the phone booth. She passed him without seeing him and he felt unreasonable anger that she hadn't noticed his eagerness or felt him staring holes into her back out of anxiousness. Some people were truly inconsiderate!

He dug change out of his messenger bag with fingers that shook so badly he could hardly keep hold of the coins. He managed to feed them into the slot and the familiar clanging of the metal on metal managed to calm his nerves.

"Excuse me sir, but I have an emergency. Are you nearly finished?"

He whirled around at the sound of a familiar voice and saw Maeve standing behind him. He dropped the handset and stepped out of the booth. "How did you find me?" He gasped out.

"I called Garcia."

He gave in to a wild desire to laugh despite more people looking at him as if he might be an escaped denizen of a mental hospital.

"But, your letter said that you wanted me to call you." He argued, inanely.

"I know, but I realized that it's been three weeks since your team put an end to my – situation. I wanted to see you in person."

He stepped forward and swept her into his arms. She flinched, then tightened her arms around his waist as he kissed her full on the mouth. "Wow," she breathed when he let her go.

"Yeah, wow," he said and ignored the catcall of a group of teenage boys passing them on the street.

"I wanted to do that since the day I first saw you."

"Me too," she whispered.

"What now?"

She took his hand and squeezed it tight. "I don't know but I was hoping that we could figure it out together."

"That would be acceptable," he said, with great solemnity.

"Then, I think we should go somewhere and talk."

Reid nodded and smiled as the wind fluffed Maeve's wavy hair around her face and the sunshine made her sea-blue eyes shine like the ocean. "Lead on," he said.

_**THE END**_


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